Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

The retirement of the space-based JRPG franchise, Phantasy Star , allowed for another to shine in its place. For many people, the second game in the Star Ocean series is a true masterpiece. Yet, it is rarely considered as one of the top PS1 RPGs. After finishing the game once, I fully understand why it is a favorite game for many, while at the same time failing to stick out much for those who didn't fall in love with the game. #78: Star Ocean: The Second Story: Year: 1998 (JP), 1999 (NA). Genre: ARPG. Publisher: Enix. Developer: tri-Ace.

In many ways, Matrix Software's Action-Adventure games were invariably inspired by and compared to The Legend of Zelda series. In fact, the original Alundra was heavily inspired by A Link to the Past both in its look and structure. Carrying on, you would guess that its 3D sequel would be inspired by Ocarina of Time . Yet, that's not the case, as Alundra 2 attempts to basically be a 3D-looking top-down Action-Adventure game. In that departure (which didn't age well), and in its more lighthearted story, the game was a disappointment to fans of the original. Yet, despite its shortcomings, and because of some of its quirks, I think that this game was unfairly rated at the time. It' a tremendously charming game that I would remember long after I forget the original. #80(S): Alundra 2: Year: 1999 (JP), 2000 (NA). Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Sony (JP), Activision (NA). Developer: Matrix Software.

Alundra is widely considered a spiritual sequel to the great Genesis game, Landstalker . Yet, other than the clear A Link to the Past ( ALttP ) influence, the game is nothing like it. It has a much more serious story, and the gameplay loop is now even closer to ALttP . In fact, if you want to consider this a " Zelda clone", then this is clearly one of the darkest and best of "the clones". #80: Alundra: Year: 1997 (JP), 1998 (NA). Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Sony (JP), Working Designs (NA). Developer: Matrix Software.

The PlayStation 1 had such a massive library of games that it is impossible to do it justice with a simple top 100 games list. As such, I decided to supplement my usual review of a top 100 games list (this time, I used the top 100 PS1 games list from Retro Sanctuary ) with other games picked up from different lists. This parallel "Additional List" is not numbered in any ordered way, so the quality of the titles theoretically varies from top to bottom. Of the five games included in this report, five are games that I played before. As for the other five, I ended up reviewing four games, of which only two provided any source of enjoyment for me. None of the games in this list can muster a strong argument to be in a Top 100 PS1 games list, but several are better than some of the weaker selections inducted in the Retro Sanctuary list. Here is a brief on these ten games, please enjoy:-

The first Blaster Maste r game was released in the second half of the console's life cycle, a little after most of its iconic early games had already been released. It managed to gain critical acclaim and a dedicated following because it used the console to its full potential while basically being a mishmash of genre ideas of many of those iconic games all in the same package. Released in the late stages of the PS1 lifecycle, Blaster Master: Blasting Again was poised to do the same thing. Alas, the PS1 was a more complex console than the NES, and the developers, Sunsoft, didn't have the same deft touch in everything they set to accomplish despite ultimately making a really good game. A71: Blaster Master: Blasting Again: Year: 2000 (JP), 2001 (NA). Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Sunsoft, Crave Entertainment. Developer: Sunsoft.

Imagine The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past but with much less charming graphics that didn't age very well, an unimpressive soundtrack, and some painfully slow gameplay and animations. Then, put in a by-the-books character in an unimaginative world fighting some unimaginative enemies. That's basically Monkey Hero in a nutshell, as boring a Link to the Past clone as you can imagine. A72: Monkey Hero: Year: 1999. Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Take-Two Interactive. Developer: Blam!.

Initially, I thought that Eternal Eyes would be a hidden gem. It starts with an intriguing murder and a promise of a gritty and serious story. That is soon dashed by the introduction of a bunch of interchangeable kids right after. Still, the story could be a fun adventurous romp. Unfortunately, that doesn't turn out to be the case, as the story progresses at a snail's pace and lets go of most characters to make room for silent Pokemon -like monsters. Yet, it is not the poor story that sinks the game, but the absolutely slow and mediocre gameplay that should have tried to be its saving grace. A73: Eternal Eyes: Year: 2000. Genre: Tactical RPG. Publisher: Sunsoft. Developer: Tamtam.

Here is a game that is obviously the passion project of someone. It has a unique world, with unique gameplay, and a lot of passion behind it. Tail Concerto starts strongly, showing a world consisting of islands in the sky that invoke memories of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, except this is a world inhabited by Dog and Cat people. Yet, despite all the charm and heart that went into making the game, I am afraid the game doesn't stick the landing. A75: Tail Concerto: Year: 1998 (JP), 1999 (NA). Genre: Action Adventure. Publisher: Bandai, Atlus. Developer: CyberConnect.  

After the debatable qualities of the top 100-91 games on Retro Sanctuary's top 100 PS1 games list, the selection was only going to improve. Surprisingly, it got better by quite a bit. While I actually reviewed only one game in the top 90-81 games in the Retro Sanctuary list , I tried them all and found things to like. Games like Jet Moto 3 and Team Buddies may require a group today to fully enjoy, both are fun or smart in some way to justify inclusion in this list. That in addition to obviously very good games like Bloody Roar 2 and Silhouette Mirage leaves me with little to complain about. However, I wholeheartedly disagree with Speed Punks being on the list and I cannot understand why an inferior port of Doom keeps showing up all the time. Please enjoy:-

While they are not a very well-known developer, Treasure managed to carve a well-regarded niche for themselves. They are known to make all kinds of solid action shooters from Shmups like Radiant Silvergun to Run 'n Guns like Gunstar Heroes . As such, fans of the developers know what to expect here, and Silhouette Mirage mostly delivers on that front. It has a great shooter foundation and adds to it a unique color-coded shooting mechanic in addition to a funny story and charming characters. Yet, several minor shortcomings add up to detract from the final game, holding it back from being one of Treasure's best, erm, treasures. 84: Silhouette Mirage: Year: 1998 (JP), 2000 (NA). Genre: Run 'n Gun. Publisher: Working Designs. Developer: Treasure.

As to be expected from the bottom-placed (in this case the higher numbered) games in a top 100 list, there would be debatable quality. Except, this really shouldn't be the case for a console with the massive library of the PS1. I am afraid that several of the games in Retro Sanctuary's Top 100-91 games shouldn't be counted among the best the PS1 has to offer. Specifically, I think games like Syndicate Wars which have superior PC ports shouldn't be counted in the list. Also, games like Ballistic , No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! , and Return Fire were basically never cared about back in the day and offer no hidden quality, unlike a game like Vanark for example. However, all of that pales in comparison to the inclusion of Wild 9 , which is simply a trash game. All in all, I don't think there are any hidden gems in these 10 games except for the unknown Vanark. Please enjoy:-

Made by some of the same people responsible for the Earthworm Jim series, Wild 9 already had a pedigree for zany worlds and unique humor behind it. Yet, that didn't transfer in any meaningful way to the game. In fact, this actually exposed the design weakness of the team which was usually masked by Earthworm Jim's uniqueness. 92: Wild 9: Year: 1998. Genre: Action Platformer. Publisher: Interplay Production. Developer: Shiny Entertainment.   "Any careless Bonehead not watching their step near floor grinders will find themselves in a world of hurt"

I remember playing Roll Away (known as Kula World in Europe) as a kid. Even then, I thought this was a demo game that just came in with the PlayStation console. It looked like something to showcase the 3 capabilities of a system while providing a unique if ultimately lacking, gaming fix. That wasn't a fair assessment then, as Roll Away is definitely more than a tech demo. Through pure mechanics, it is a very good Puzzle Platformer. However, it can get boring for any but the pure puzzle aficionados, as the game loses attraction quicker than most. 93: Roll Away: Year: 1998. Genre: Puzzle Platformer. Publisher: SCE, Psygnosis. Developer: Game Design Sweden AB. "Well Done!"

Right on the tail (HA) of the last Gex game, Crystal Dynamics was busy crafting a sequel that would push the boundaries of the PlayStation console while opening new ground with their reptilian mascot. It's arguable if they succeeded with their first objective, but it is clear that they failed with their second and more important objective. Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko was the last game featuring the obnoxious lizard, selling less than its predecessor and perhaps convincing its developers to drop the character. Ironically, I think that caused Gex to end on a high note because Gex 3 is the best game in the admittedly average series. 98: Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko: Year: 1999. Genre: 3D Platformer. Publisher: Eidos Interactive. Developer: Crystal Dynamics.